2021-22 Russian Women's Figure Skating

[Jontor]

Season's Best List update - after 23 out of 26 competitions

1. Kamila Valieva - Rus - 272.71 GP Rostelecom Cup (new World record!!)
2. Anna Shcherbakova - Rus - 237.42 European Championships
3. Alexandra Trusova - Rus - 234.36 European Championships
4. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - Rus - 233.30 CS Finlandia Trophy
5. Sofia Akateva (J) - Rus - 233.08 JGP Krasnoyarsk (Junior World record)
6. Maiia Khromykh - Rus - 226.35 GP Gran Premio d'Italia
7. Kaori Sakamoto - Jpn - 223.34 GP NHK Trophy
8. Alëna Kostornaia - Rus - 221.85 GP Internationaux de France
9. Alysa Liu - USA - 219.24 CS Lombardia Trophy
10. Loena Hendrickx - Bel - 219.05 GP Gran Premio d'Italia
11. Mai Mihara - Jpn - 218.03 Four Continents Championships
12. Daria Usacheva - Rus - 217.31 GP Skate America
13. Young You - Kor - 216.97 GP Skate America
14. Veronika Zhilina (J) - Rus - 216.92 JGP Kosice
15. Haein Lee - Kor - 213.52 Four Continents Championships
16. Sofia Muravieva - Rus - 211.81 JGP Linz
17. Adelia Petrosian - Rus - 210.57 JGP Ljubljana
18. Mariah Bell - USA - 210.35 GP Rostelecom Cup
19. Yelim Kim - Kor - 209.91 Four Continents Championships
20. Satoko Miyahara - Jpn - 209.57 GP Gran Premio d'Italia
21. Isabeau Levito - USA - 208.31 JGP Linz
22. Anastasia Zinina - Rus - 206.20 JGP Krasnoyarsk
23. Kseniia Sinitsyna - Rus - 205.76 GP Skate America
24. Sofia Samodelkina - Rus - 205.67 JGP Ljubljana
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34. Elizaveta Kulikova (J) - Rus - 196.83 JGP Krasnoyarsk
36. Elizaveta Berestovskaya (J) - Rus - 196.07 JGP Krasnoyarsk
41. Maria Zakharova (J) - Rus - 190.33 JGP Kosice
51. Sofia Samodurova - Rus - 180.59 GP Gran Premio d'Italia

Top 24 are guaranteed a spot at next year's senior GPs, except for (J).

Only Olympics, JW and Worlds left. I see a couple of potential high scorers that might get into that Top 24, e.g. Wakaba Higuchi and Karen Chen. It will be crucial for Samodelkina to better her score at JW so she can be sure of senior GP spots next year.
There are 12 eligible Russians now in the Top 24. There are only room for 9 at the GPs.

 

[AlexBreeze]

Sofa Samodelkina is receiving threats because of her recent interview.

 

[lariko]

She has a twin sister

There could never be enough Trusova! If one is good, two is better.

 

[lariko]

Sofa Samodelkina is receiving threats because of her recent interview.

There are days I really like plants. People are just... not good.

 

[Greengemmonster]

Sofa Samodelkina is receiving threats because of her recent interview.

Omg she's just a kid!!!! Actually it shouldn't be happening no matter what age she is but she is just a kid!!!!!

I really cannot understand people!!!!

 

[Lechat]

Omg she's just a kid!!!! Actually it shouldn't be happening no matter what age she is but she is just a kid!!!!!

I really cannot understand people!!!!

Same for me. She’s only a teen.
anyway, she’s not the only one, I’m sure other skaters already received threats

 

[Amei]

Omg she's just a kid!!!! Actually it shouldn't be happening no matter what age she is but she is just a kid!!!!!

I really cannot understand people!!!!

I think the break from public social media is a good thing (root reason not a good thing), she's had a couple of bad interviews between the Eteri/Plushenko comment and the praying for Olympic postponement comment she needs some training of appropriate and inappropriate media behavior. There are plenty of coaches that need to be in the training with her, but she's going to be senior next year which will mean more press attention, maybe the break will give a reality check about being careful about what she says.

 

[Alex Fedorov]

I think the break from public social media is a good thing (root reason not a good thing), she's had a couple of bad interviews between the Eteri/Plushenko comment and the praying for Olympic postponement comment she needs some training of appropriate and inappropriate media behavior. There are plenty of coaches that need to be in the training with her, but she's going to be senior next year which will mean more press attention, maybe the break will give a reality check about being careful about what she says.

Compared to Plushenko's inappropriate statements after the Russian Championships, and even more so compared to Zhulin's recent incendiary speeches, Samodelkina's words look quite innocent.

 

[lopsilceci]

I just red this very strong statement of yours and couldn't help myself to dig just a little bit.
It turns out that Anna got basically the same PCS in GP France SP and Europeans SP.
She was clean in France, feel down and missed combination on Euros.

And to clarify I do think that Muravieva was overscored in Junior Nats, she was however underscored in Senior Nats.
Muravieva opened the door for Petrosian but Adelia couldn't really get herself together and walk through it.

At Euros, the rest of her SP besides the mistake was very good and the fall didn't interrupt the rest of the program or cause other mistakes.
At France she should have gotten higher PCS.

Muravyova is just overscored for no reason, over skaters who can also deliver just as well as her on the performance aspect and also have more to offer on the tech side. Also, neither her nor Samodelkina nor Petrosyan are super consistent, so I don't think that could be the reason to push her over the others. At Senior Nats, I think Muravyova was actually overscored in PCS compared to the other juniors who skated just as well or even better.

 

[Paulipau]

At Euros, the rest of her SP besides the mistake was very good and the fall didn't interrupt the rest of the program or cause other mistakes.

Ow so Anna fell and it wasn't an interruption and Muravieva's step out was? That makes total sense xD

At Senior Nats, I think Muravyova was actually overscored in PCS compared to the other juniors who skated just as well or even better.

I am afraid that this one is subjective, I think that Muravieva is the best performer amongst current juniors and you will say that she is not, and we will never agree
She also jumped 3A and we know that the ultra-C element usually affects the PCS, Samo jumped it as well but for me she is till quite rough around the edges comparing to Mura.

 

[flanker]

and we will never agree

We can actually agree on that

 

[flanker]

Nevertheless, while poor Misha is out, girls (knock-knock) are still on the team:

 

[Dawn825]

At Euros, the rest of her SP besides the mistake was very good and the fall didn't interrupt the rest of the program or cause other mistakes.
At France she should have gotten higher PCS.

In France she was ranked first in every category, above clean Kostornaia, including skating skills. How much higher do you need her to be?

 

[Greengemmonster]

Nevertheless, while poor Misha is out, girls (knock-knock) are stil on the team:

I'm so stressed!!!! Not about their skating at all but I just want them to make it to China and be negative!!!

 

[Placebo11]

Im really nervous for the girls and pray that they will stay healthy (aka Covid-free).

 

[soccerjc77]

I understand the strategy of Eteri for Alexandra Trusova with the triple axel in the short program. Some people may say : hey why she is putting triple axel because she fall on every attempt in the SP ? It's true.

But, Alexandra Trusova know and Eteri know that if she want to challenge Kamila Valieva and beat Kamila Valieva in the FS. Trusova need that triple axel if she want her score to be close to Kamila Valieva after the SP.

If Alexandra Trusova successfull land her first triple axel in the SP at the Olympic, she will probably not win the SP but she will be close to the SP score of Kamila.

So if Alexandra have close score to Kamila after the SP, I'm sure that It will motivate Trusova so much to land all her quad jump in the FS and I would not be surprise to see Alexandra Trusova actually win the Olympic because maybe Kamila would have some pressure and nerve if someone manage to be close to her after the SP.

It will be an interesting competition at the Olympic

I think that Alexandra, Kamila and Anna can win this Olympic gold, it will depend on how much those ladies will control their nerve and land their jump to make that title for them.

It will be and interesting competition, and I'm a fan of Trusova pushing the limit, try the triple axel for trying to be close to Kamila score after the SP that's a good strategy for her.

And, you know what everything can happen at the Olympic, I remember Mao Asada attempting the triple axel at the SP at the season at the 2010 Olympic and fall on every attempt at the Grand prix ! Everyone sound like it crazy that she go for the triple axel because she land no one at the Grand prix in the SP. And arrive to the Olympic Mao Asada land her triple axel in the SP and her score was close to Yuna Kim to make challenge YuNa kim in the Free skate.

So I think that similar thing can happen to Alexandra Trusova, watch out Trusova will land that triple axel at the olympic in the SP, I feel it !

 

[brakes]

Nevertheless, while poor Misha is out, girls (knock-knock) are stil on the team:

They don't have a decent meeting room inside that rink - have to talk to president in a dance practice room. Deserve better.

 

[Azikin]

Now I'm really worried about girls...

 

[flanker]

They don't have a decent meeting room inside that rink - have to talk to president in a dance practice room. Deserve better.

In the vid you can see there were more groups of athletes present at the videoconference. I presume the rooms were distributed according to the size of particular groups.

 

[Decoder]

Now I'm really worried about girls...

We all are very worried. I remember the Fed said they'd do daily test in Krasnoyarsk. But what are they going to do if someone gets positive result? Yegor Bazin and coach Denis Samokhin tested positive, what about his partner Elizaveta Khudaiberdiyeva, who must be in close contact with Yegor and the coach? Such a difficult situation they are all in.

Eteri team (including Sofia A and Adelia P) will be flying to Krasnoyarsk on Jan 26. Hope they take every precaution to protect the girls and the coaches.